After back-to-back losses at home, the Vegas Golden Knights have decided to shake up their lines ahead of Game 5 tonight against the Dallas Stars.
After back-to-back losses at home, the Vegas Golden Knights have decided to shake up their lines ahead of Game 5 tonight against the Dallas Stars.
Anthony Mantha was removed from the lineup in Game 4 and was replaced by Michael Amadio, who scored the game's opening goal.
Keegan Kolesar and Zach Whitecloud have been removed from the lineup and they'll be replaced by Pavel Dorfeyev and Ben Hutton. Dorfeyev will skate with Chandler Stephenson and Mark Stone. Hutton will be paired with Noah Hanifin. The two have never been paired together.
Tomas Hertl will skate on the first line with Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault. Hertl is a creative forward who should be able to give Eichel and Marchessault more time and space with the puck. If that line can find chemistry, they can pose a major offensive threat.
Ivan Barbashev has been dropped down to the fourth line. He'll play with William Carrier and Nicolas Roy. They'll form a hard-checking line that could produce timely offence.
Alec Martinez and Alex Pietrangelo have been reunited, while Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore will once again be paired together. HC Bruce Cassidy has formed a defence core that will likely evenly distribute the minutes.
Cassidy spoke about the decision to put the lines in a blender.
"We understand we need to be better and we're hoping these lines work out to make us better tonight. If they don't, we will keep working until we find it. It's for the good of the team."
The most surprising move may be that Adin Hill will get the start ahead of Logan Thompson. Thompson started the first four games but Cassidy has elected to go with the experience of Hill.
The series is even and anything can happen but at the moment, it's the Stars who feel good about their game and the team that has the momentum. Cassidy's job is to put the team in the best position to win hockey games in the playoffs. He's in a tough spot with trying to find Hertl the right linemates but also giving Stone the right players so he can get his game back. Another road victory would go a long way in their hopes of winning this series.
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